


Breaking Point

by saintvic



Category: The Professionals
Genre: Character Study, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-07
Updated: 2010-06-07
Packaged: 2017-10-09 23:46:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/92886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saintvic/pseuds/saintvic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>George Cowley tries to know everything about his men including what might break them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breaking Point

George Cowley knew everything about his men. He had to. To be able use them effectively he had to know their background, skills and motivation, how they'd react, if they would follow orders, and when they wouldn't. This knowledge meant he could recruit them, train them, assign them, and trust them to complete their duties satisfactorily.

Equally he had to know when not to use them which meant calculating what would break them. This differed for each man, everyone under his command could be pushed to a different moment, could endure to a different degree.

There might be an injury that left them less capable. Some men couldn't recover fully or adjust to the change in their abilities. This regularly left them bitter and of no value to him.

It could be the criminal that remained untouchable despite CI5's brief. The frustration this caused could fester and lead to a narrow single-minded obsession. This left the men of little use for other operations.

For some it would be the parade of victims: dead children, strung out junkies, and battered women. They marched before the eyes and preyed on the mind, until they were all that could be seen.

For others it would be losing a partner. Cowley knew that creating a partnership was tricky, but worthy, as at its best a partnership meant an unbeatable team. But losing a partner, the one you relied on to watch your back and who trusted you in return, could break a man with grief and guilt.

So for each man Cowley tried to work out what would break them. Because to know how far a man could be pushed meant he knew how best to utilize and assign them. It was only logical to understand every aspect of the men at his disposal.


End file.
